Interrelationships of Selenium, Cadmium, and Arsenic in Mammalian Teratogenesis

Cadmium sulfate and sodium arsenate injected into pregnant hamsters are independently teratogenic. Sodium selenite which is not teratogenic under similar conditions does provide significant protection against the malformations induced by cadmium or arsenic when injected simultaneously with either of these teratogens. The effect of a time interval between the injection of cadmium and selenium revealed that the protective effect of selenium was still marked at a 30-minute interval but decreased markedly at two- to four-hour intervals. At the 30-minute interval the protective effect was more marked when the selenium was injected first rather than the reciprocal method.